4
“Raise your heads, both of you. Klimt’s words weren’t wrong, and I’m not bothered by them.”
At Goz’s words, Kuraia raised her head, looking relieved.
“Thank you, Shiba. Oh, and if possible, I’d be grateful if you could let me know what you find out about Lord Sora.”
“Oh?”
Goz let out a surprised voice.
As far as Goz knew, the siblings and Sora weren’t particularly close. It was unexpected for Kuraia to show concern about Sora’s whereabouts.
This surprise wasn’t limited to Goz; Klimt also seemed to feel the same way, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Why is Sis concerned about Sora? Besides, there’s no need to use ‘Lord’ for someone who’s been disowned!”
“It’s true that Lord Sora was disowned. But isn’t it also true that we studied together with him? Besides, Lord Sora never once made fun of our hair or eyes. Or the fact that we’re adopted by the Beruhi family.”
The two siblings, with their white hair and red eyes—albinos—had been subjected to curious stares from those around them since childhood. Being from the upstart Beruhi family, and adopted at that, it was fair to say that being teased and bullied was an everyday occurrence.
However, Sora, who was the heir to the Misurugi family, treated the siblings without discrimination.
The memory was now hazy, but Kuraia recalled that he had even chased away persistent bullies for them. She fondly remembered that it was probably when they were five or six years old.
At the time, fear and hesitation towards the Misurugi family, as well as their dedication to study and training to be recognized by the Beruhi family, meant they didn’t have much of a relationship. This didn’t change even when they became classmates as they grew older, but Kuraia never forgot her gratitude towards Sora.
This gratitude was directed not at his position as the heir, but at Sora as an individual. Therefore, Kuraia’s feelings didn’t change even after Sora was exiled.
“You must have some memory of it too, don’t you?”
“…Hmph, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Seeing her brother deliberately looking away, Kuraia smiled slightly before continuing.
“And you know, the reason I want to know about Lord Sora is because I think Ayaka might be concerned about him.”
“Azurite?”
Klimt was confused by the name that came from his sister’s mouth.
Ayaka Azurite. For Klimt, she was a peer, just like his sister and Sora. Incidentally, she was also an opponent he had never been able to defeat in a match, not even once.
Klimt wondered why Ayaka’s name was being brought up here.
Of course, he knew that Ayaka and Sora had been betrothed, but after Sora’s exile, Ayaka had become engaged to Raguna Misurugi, who had become the new heir of the Misurugi family, and her relationship with Sora should have ended.
Klimt didn’t know the details as he was in a different unit, but he had never heard that Raguna and Ayaka were on bad terms.
“Isn’t that none of our business? You might catch Raguna’s attention in a bad way.”
“I don’t think Lord Raguna is that small-minded. But you’re right, it might be meddling unnecessarily…”
Kuraia let her words trail off hesitantly in response to her brother’s comment.
In fact, Kuraia was conflicted.
Among those called the Golden Generation, there were three women. These three got along well, and their friendship continued even after they were separated into different units in the Blue Forest Eight Banners.
Because of this, Kuraia knew more about Ayaka and Raguna’s relationship than her brother did.
As far as Kuraia knew, the two were getting along well. Ayaka had never once complained about Raguna. She had never spoken of any lingering feelings for Sora either. Moreover, in these five years, Kuraia had never once heard Sora’s name come from Ayaka’s mouth.
And that’s precisely why she was concerned.
From Kuraia’s perspective, her friend Ayaka Azurite was an active, kind-hearted person with an unpretentious personality, well-liked by both superiors and subordinates, as well as peers.
Could Ayaka really be so unconcerned about her exiled fiancé?
In Kuraia’s memory, when Sora was on the island, it was Ayaka who actively clung to him. This was in defiance of the voices criticizing their relationship as “mismatched” between the talented and beautiful Ayaka and the immature and unskilled Sora.
In other words, Ayaka liked Sora enough to be angered by the whispers aimed at him, and she was undoubtedly happy when she was with him.
For Kuraia, who had secretly envied their relationship, Ayaka’s attitude after Sora’s exile seemed extremely unnatural.
Until now, there was no point in worrying about it. Given the current head’s personality, there was no chance of Sora’s disinheritance being lifted. There was no way to contact Sora after he left the island, and there was no guarantee he was even safe.
That’s why Kuraia never brought up Sora when she met Ayaka.
But now, unexpectedly, they might be able to learn of Sora’s whereabouts. It seemed natural to think that this should be communicated to Ayaka. Especially if there was a possibility of his disinheritance being lifted.
…However, while thinking this, she also felt that her brother might be right – what she was doing could be seen as meddling.
Even for Kuraia, it was difficult to gauge what the best course of action would be.
Unconsciously combing her long white hair with her fingers, Kuraia slowly chose her words, as if confirming each one:
“Regardless of whether we tell Ayaka or not, there’s no problem with me knowing about Lord Sora, Klimt. Also, Shiba. Lord Sora, who has a winged beast as a means of transportation, might leave for another country as soon as tomorrow to avoid the danger of the monster rampage. Considering that, I believe the sooner Shiba can meet him, the better.”
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The next day, after such a discussion, the three of them found themselves in a carriage heading to Ishka.
This was the result of Liddell suggesting “all three of you together” upon hearing that only Goz was going to Ishka.
To Kuraia, who was concerned about leaving a gap in the defense line, Liddell explained that there was no need to worry, giving the following reasons:
Originally, the Ishka government and the Adventurers’ Guild had planned to give gradual rest to those who had been fighting on the front lines of the monster rampage until today.
Living in tents was already inconvenient, and under conditions where monsters could attack at any time, even lying down didn’t fully relieve fatigue. And if fatigue accumulated, even the most seasoned warriors could make mistakes. This measure was to avoid such situations.
Normally, extracting forces from the front lines during a monster rampage would be suicidal, but Ishka, having built a solid defense system, now had the capacity to make this possible.
Hearing this, Kuraia nodded in understanding.
Goz jokingly grumbled, “You could have told us this yesterday.”
As for Klimt, he had no reason to refuse if it meant he didn’t have to deal with weak monsters. As a result, the three of them ended up visiting Ishka together.
As they passed through Ishka’s castle gate, Goz pointed to a corner outside the castle and asked their two guides:
“Is that building a stable? It looks quite large.”
“Ah, that’s the stable for tamed monsters. They’ve been moved to a different location in preparation for the monster rampage. Sora’s blue winged beast was there until recently,”
Parfait responded lightly.
Seeing interest in Goz’s eyes, Parfait continued with a smile:
“I heard that now, with permission from the government, he’s using his home garden as a makeshift stable. The dragon is popular with the residents, and there’s a constant stream of sightseers.”
“In the midst of hordes of monsters approaching? The townspeople of Ishka are resilient.”
“It just shows how much trust they have in the adventurers and the Guild.”
Parfait puffed out her chest proudly, then clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something.
“That’s right. Shall we stop by Sora’s house before heading to the Guild? Sora is out scouting the southern region now, so he’s probably not home, but he might have returned.”
“I’d certainly like that, but… did you say scouting the southern region? Are monsters appearing in the south as well, not just the north?”
“The Master will explain about that. I’m sorry, but I can’t say anything more from my position.”
As far as Parfait knew, Sora was busy dealing with a new poison that had appeared in the Kale River area.
The Ishka upper echelons had not yet disclosed this new poison to the residents. It wasn’t something a Guild employee could speak about.
Hearing Parfait’s words, Goz looked puzzled, but if the Guild Master was going to explain, there was no need to force the receptionist to speak here.
He lightly restrained Klimt, who was visibly irritated beside him, and nodded magnanimously.
“If that’s the case, we’ll ask Lord Elgart directly. In any case, I’d appreciate it if you could guide us to Lord Sora’s residence before we head to the Guild.”
“Yes, understood. So, senior, if you please!”
Liddell, who was holding the reins, shrugged and responded with “Understood” to Parfait’s words.
She had some reservations about guiding the three to Sora’s place before meeting Elgart. However, judging from their attitude, it was clear that they valued Sora more than the Guild.
Even if Liddell insisted on going to the Guild first, it would only harm their impression of her.
It seemed more prudent to go along with her junior’s intentions – a decision Liddell would soon regret.
However, at this moment, Liddell failed to notice the warning voice of her future self and turned the horse’s head towards Sora’s mansion. When Sora’s mansion came into view, Parfait let out a disappointed voice. There were no sightseers looking for the winged beast.
“Oh no, it looks like Sora hasn’t returned.”
“Seems so. But it doesn’t look completely deserted either.”
Liddell said this because she had noticed a beastkin girl cleaning in front of the mansion. Shortly after, an elf with strikingly bright golden hair emerged from the gate.
Seeing the two figures, Goz opened his mouth with interest.
“Hmm, a cat-type beastkin and… that elf is wearing a sage’s robe. Are they Lord Sora’s servants?”
“…Yes, I suppose you could call them servants.”
“Quite a unique group, don’t you think, Klimt?”
“Hmph, they’re probably not just servants. All young women. It’s obvious he’s collected them for their looks.”
Five years ago, a man miserably exiled from his homeland now has women at his beck and call, flaunting his power.
Klimt sneered.
“Sora’s certainly moved up in the world, hasn’t he? Sister, you should tell Azurite about this. Even if she still has feelings for him, hearing this should wipe them clean away.”
“Klimt, it’s not good to jump to conclusions.”
“Then let’s ask them directly. Hey, hurry up and-“
Klimt, about to order something to Liddell who was holding the reins, suddenly fell silent.
When Liddell looked back to see what was happening, she saw Klimt with his crimson eyes opened to their limit.
It wasn’t just Klimt. Both Goz and Kuraia had similar expressions.
Seeing the three’s unusual demeanor, a chill ran down Liddell’s spine. Following their gaze with a sense of foreboding, Liddell saw the beastkin Seal and the elf Lunamaria.
And one more.
The figure of Suzume – the oni girl who had just come out of the gate.
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